Тридесет и пет години специалност „Психология“ и четиридесет години катедра „Психология“ в Югозападен университет „Неофит Рилски“ – Благоевград
Thirty-Five Years Of The Psychology Major And Forty Years Of The Psychology Department At Southwest University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad

Summary/Abstract: The article is dedicated to two landmark anniversaries at South-West University “Neofit Rilski” – Blagoevgrad: the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the “Psychology” specialty (first intake admitted in the 1991/1992 academic year) and the fortieth anniversary of the creation of the independent “Psychology” Department (1980). The author traces the main stages in the development of the department and the specialty, drawing on archival documents, memoirs of key participants (published in the “Yearbook of Psychology”), and current facts. According to Prof. Petar Nikolov, the development passed through four stages: the unified “Pedagogy” Department (1976–1980), the first independent steps (1980–1983), establishing its own place in the structure of the Higher Pedagogical Institute (1983–1991), and assuming responsibility for the new specialty after 1991. The contribution of the first lecturers – Prof. Decho Denev, Assoc. Prof. Trifon Trifonov, Prof. Vasil Madolev, Prof. Lyubomir Georgiev, Prof. Lyudmil Krastev and others – is highlighted, as well as the influence of the visiting Soviet psychologists Valeriya Sergeevna Mukhina and T. N. Schastnaya. The article describes the establishment of the Psychology Laboratory Complex, the first scientific conferences, and the expansion of the curricula. In the contemporary period (2000–2026), the department has established itself as a leading scientific and educational centre within the Faculty of Philosophy. Among its key achievements are the publication of the Scopus-indexed journal Psychological Thought, the peer-reviewed Yearbook of Psychology, as well as significant monographs and textbooks authored by department members. A number of important applied projects have been implemented by the department. The article emphasises the continuity between generations and the leading role of the Department of Psychology in the training of highly qualified specialists and in the development of Bulgarian psychological science.

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